Last week, Los Angeles received an historic torrential downpour.
In downtown LA, over the course of three days, there was more than half the rainfall than the region typically receives annually. And with all that rain, translating to runoff into the ocean, that made for some nasty, sewage-infested ocean conditions.
But hey, there were waves. And waves at places that are normally not “good” in terms of surf. And so, some surfers braved the potential hepatitis to get tubed.
As seen above, Santa Monica saw the day of the year…maybe even the decade. This stretch of beach is more known for selfie-stick-wielding tourists, the Ferris wheel on the nearby pier, and celebrities jogging along the beach path.
It’s not known for good waves. But this day, for a short period of time, it turned on.
From Salty Beards:
“5 straight days of dumping rain in Southern California creating disgusting sewage spills into the ocean with storm drains overflowing and wild winds. On the contrary the storm also brought us some pretty unique swell direction, which created some fun waves in places (like Santa Monica) that usually doesn’t get great waves. For about 30 minutes this stretch of beach turned on for pro surfers Yadin Nicol, Luke Davis, Hunter Jones and Jacob Atwood.”
Surfing after a rain is a well-known risk. The 72-hour rule is often cited as an appropriate time to wait to paddle out. From the Surfrider Foundation, here’s a study they conducted on the matter:
“When surfers enter the water during or in the 72 hours following storm events, an average of 30 per 1,000 will contract GI illness, compared to 18 per 1,000 surfers who will contract GI illness without entering the water, and 25 per 1,000 who will contract GI illness when entering the water during dry weather. From a health risk perspective, that is an extra – or excess – risk of 12 surfers per 1,000 on average who will become ill when they enter the ocean in wet weather, compared to when they do not enter the ocean.”
But when it’s spitting barrels with nobody out…worth the risk?
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